604 Proceedinga of the Royal Irish Academy. 



One of the most remarkable features about tbis class is tbe fact tbat 

 tbe raised mouldings are truly decorative in character. It is not a case 

 of applied decoration, of tbe application of patterns wbicb were in 

 general use, as in tbe case of tbe Bronze Age patterns or of tbe Late 

 Celtic pattern ; but in tbe instance of tbese spear-beads tbe decoration 

 is developed from tbe form and truly related to it. 



Tbe Academy's collection contains fifteen specimens of tbis class. 

 Two are devoid of rivet-boles. In four instances tbe sockets are im- 

 perfect and indeterminate. Fine examples of tbis type bave been found 

 in England and Scotland, but in botb it is rare. 



A remarkable spear -bead from Knockans is figured by Evans 

 (fig. 411). It bas loops, witb square returns, formed below tbe blade 

 by tbe prolongation of ribs along tbe sides of tbe midrib, and in 

 addition a rivet-bole tbrougb tbe socket. 



A very fine example of tbis form is in tbe Grainger collection, and 

 an imperfect one is in tbe Academy's Museum. 



Tbe numerical relations of tbe varieties discussed in tbe preceding 

 pages sbow tbat two classes only, of tbe f oui'f old division of spear-beads 

 adopted by Wilde and Evans, were in general use during tbe Bronze 

 Period in Ii-eland ; tbe looped and tbe riveted leaf-sbaped. Tbe 

 following tabular summaries of some of tbe principal collections will 

 make tbis clear : — 



Museum Eoyal Irisb Academy (including tbe Petrie collection) : — 



Looped (Class II.) — 



(«) Primitive form, ..... 13 

 {h) Developed form, . . . .166 



(c) Leaf-shaped, ..... 10 



[d) Eapier type (fig. 17), ... 5 



194 



Transitional (Class III.)— 43 



Leaf-sbaped, with apertures in blade (Class IV.) — 



{a) With side projections, ... 8 



(l) Witb larger apertures in blade, but 



devoid of rivet holes, ... 6 



(c) With segmental openings in blade, and, 



generally, rivet holes, . , . 15 



29 



Leaf-shaped, with rivet holes (Class I.), . . 131 



